A Fresh Start
by Dr. Lauryl
Summary: AU, X-Men: Evolution, Batman Beyond x-over. I'm really, really sorry for the hiatus! CHAPTER 7 UP!
1. The beginning

A/N: this is alternate universe, seeing as Terry and the X-men could never truly co-exist due to the time difference. Ah well, it's all good in the fanfic world. Oh, and Lance doesn't get along with any of the X-men in this, just for laughs  
  
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Disclaimer: unfortunately, I don't own 'em. Too bad so sad.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Terry, sweetie, its time for breakfast. Matt's already up," the familiar voice of Mary McGinnis reached the sleeping boy's ears.  
  
"He's my new role model," Terry mumbled as he rolled over.  
  
"Ter, get up, I'm not joking. I will not have you late for your first day at a new school," his mother was standing in the doorway by this point. "Up. Now," she demanded. Terry finally heaved himself out of bed and his mother left the room. It was weird to wake up in this new place, almost like the day he woke up in his mother's apartment after…after his father had been killed. The night after he was Batman. Leaving Gotham was hard; Max and Dana were in tears about it and his fellow classmates were defiantly disappointed, but the worst was leaving Bruce Wayne…And Batman. Terry loved his nightly career: seeking out "bad guys" and bringing justice. It was just the cure for his previous juvenile behavior. Even though he loved being Batman with a passion, he was willing to give that up…the real issue was leaving Bruce alone. Before Terry had inadvertently become Batman, Bruce had lived for so many years alone with only his memories. To be isolated for so long without many friends must have been a nightmare for the old man. Bruce would never admit that he enjoyed Terry's company, but the youth knew it was there. The former Batman had gradually become casual with Terry, and the boy feared that Bruce would have to live in darkness once again.  
  
"Terry, if I have to tell you one more time, you'll be sorry!" His mom called.  
  
"I'm coming mom! God…" he added under his breath. He got ready for school wearing his usual black shirt and pants, finishing off the outfit with his signature brown jacket. As he looked at the clock next to his bed, he swore under his breath and ran to the kitchen. Once there he devoured the toast and orange juice, kissed his mom goodbye and wished her luck on her new job.  
  
Out of breath and late, Terry ran up to the main office of his new high school. Stopping in front of the door, he took a moment to compose himself, but soon he knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in," the voice answered. Terry did so.  
  
"Ah, you must be Terrence McGinnis," she said.  
  
"Oh, you can call me Terry," he said timidly. Timidly? He thought to himself. Since when have I been timid?  
  
"Well, since it's your first day, I'll excuse your tardiness. Here is your class schedule. You'll have a host student who has all of the same classes," she went to the intercom button. "Mr. Greer, will you send Scott Summers to the office? Thank you." She turned back to Terry. "Scott will be with you in a moment. Do you have any questions?"  
  
"Um, no ma'am," Terry said. As he finished speaking, the door opened and closed behind him. Turning around, Terry saw the guy who would apparently lead him around. The youth was about Terry's height with brown hair. He was wearing sunglasses and the moment was almost too good to pass up.  
  
"Is it really so sunny in Bayville?" Terry questioned jokingly. The youth just looked at the new kid and introduced himself.  
  
"I'm Scott Summers. You must be…Terrence? Where are you from?" Scott said.  
  
"Actually, it's Terry, and I'm from Gotham," Terry replied. He was kind of getting frustrated at this Scott Summers. Maybe it wasn't even Scott he was frustrated at, but it was always nice to blame people. When he was Batman…You know what, Terry, you're not Batman. That life is over.  
  
"Well, you boys had better be heading to class, I don't ant to interrupt your studies," the principal intervened. The two boys acknowledged her and left the office. Once in the hallway, Scott spoke.  
  
"So, Gotham, eh? Isn't that where Batman is?" Scott asked, trying to make friendly conversation.  
  
"Was," Terry said under his breath.  
  
"Hm?" countered Scott.  
  
"Yeah, he lives there," said Terry. There was a moment of awkward silence, but they soon reached their classroom.  
  
As the two boys walked into the classroom, the teacher was in mid- sentence. He stopped and turned to the youths, then turned back to the class.  
  
"Class," he said, "As I was telling you, we have a new student today. His name is Terrence-" the teacher was cut short by Terry saying something softly. "What?" the teacher said politely.  
  
"It's Terry," the black-haired youth said.  
  
"Ah, yes, Terry McGinnis. Terry is from Gotham City, but I'll let him say a few words about himself and you all can ask questions after class. Terry?" The teacher moved over a bit so Terry could have center stage.  
  
"Yeah," Terry started out. "I'm Terry McGinnis, I'm from Gotham and I'm pretty much here against my will." The boy ended his brief introduction and looked at the teacher for further instructions.  
  
"That was…wonderful, Terry. You may now take your seat next to Scott." The black-haired boy did so and the morning passed by uneventfully.  
  
Eventually, after what seemed like ages of excruciatingly boring classes, the lunch bell rang.  
  
"Finally," Terry muttered. Scott approached the new student and invited him to eat with him and his friends. Whether the principal required this offer or not Terry didn't care to find out.  
  
Not knowing whether the cafeteria food was edible, Terry brought his own lunch, a mistake that would hardly be repeated again. The food at this school was notably better than the food at his other school. Terry now knew for certain that this suburb school was funded, however subtly, better than his old school. Scott purchased his meal and guided Terry to a table where other kids were sitting. Terry sat down to the left of Scott and the new kid surveyed the others around him. To the sunglasses-clad boy's immediate right there sat a girl with bright red hair. She smiled at Terry and introduced herself as Jean Grey. Next to her was a guy with black, chin-length hair who introduced himself (in a German-sounding accent) as Kurt Wagner. Next to Kurt was Kitty Pride, next to her was Evan Daniels and sitting next to him with black lipstick and a streak of dye in her hair was Rogue. Terry felt more at ease. This school's not as preppy as I would've guessed, thought Terry.  
  
The Gotham boy had barely finished his sandwich when a greasy looking guy approached the table.  
  
"Hey, Kitty, what's up?" the boy said.  
  
"Go away, Lance! Can't you see I'm eating?" Kitty said, obviously irritated. Lance closed in, putting his arm around the girl.  
  
"Come on, baby, I know a little spot behind the vending machines that would be perfect," he said sleazily. Terry got out of his seat and went to Kitty's defense.  
  
"Come on, man, can't you see that she doesn't want make out with you? Get serious, who would?" Lance looked up at the speaker.  
  
"Hey, you're the new kid. What are you doing, hanging out with losers like these? What's your name…Terrence?" the boy said, obviously trying to instigate something.  
  
"My name is 'Terry' and if someone calls me 'Terrence' again, I will subject them to physical pain." Terry's statement was almost too much for Lance to ignore.  
  
"What's wrong, Terrence," he said. That was it.  
  
Terry's first day at a new school and he's already fighting…*sigh* what will become of him? Perhaps some positive or constructive feedback will persuade me to write more! I would really appreciate your comments and no, this isn't one of those scams to get reviews, but I want to really know if anyone cares if I continue. Happy Reading! 


	2. Invitations and Phone Calls

A/N: this is alternate universe, seeing as Terry and the X-men could never truly co-exist due to the time difference. Ah well, it's all good in the fanfic world. Oh, and Lance doesn't get along with any of the X-men in this, just for laughs.  
  
Disclaimer: unfortunately, I don't own 'em. Too bad so sad. And if I've made any errors about the shows, my mistake, but this is an AU fic.  
  
  
  
1 Chapter 2 – Invitations and Phone Calls.  
  
  
  
"I warned you," Terry said dangerously. No one could taunt him with his full name and get away with it. He assumed one of the many fighting positions he knew, but waited until Lance threw the first punch so Terry could call the act self-defense if necessary, of course. The brown-haired boy fell right into Terry's plan as the new kid blocked the oncoming punch. The miniature bout was over in a matter of seconds as Terry landed a well- aimed knee in Lance's abdomen. The breath was knocked out of Lance and he wobbled away quite unsteadily muttering something to the effect of "I won't forget this!" Terry went back to his seat.  
  
"That's what they all say," Terry remarked. There was an awkward silence and the boy looked up. "What?" he said to the gaping table. After Terry's gaze broke, the table cascaded into mutterings, some of which included "damn" (in a Mississippi accent), "geez" (in a German accent), and a soft whistle that seemed to be coming from Evan.  
  
"What?" Terry asked again, only this time it was to clarify the reason for the palpable awe.  
  
"That was totally amazing! Thanks a bunch," Kitty said, breaking through the barrier of mumbling.  
  
"Ja, where did you learn to do that?" Kurt asked, amazed.  
  
"I guess you guys have never really lived in a big city," Terry said quite honestly, but it felt wrong. Yeah, the Jokerz were a constant threat, but there were only a few occasions where Terry had needed self- defense against them. But, out of all the excuses he could've provided, that was the most believable one. Who would believe that this little nobody from Gotham had actually been Batman? And Terry wasn't about to say he had served time in Juvi.  
  
"Really guys, it was nothing," Terry said dismissively. Somehow, though, it didn't seem like the group believed him.  
  
"Hey, I have an idea," Kitty said. Everyone gave her their attention. "Why don't we invite Terry over in a little way to thank him and welcome him here?" The others mumbled or nodded in agreement.  
  
"Wait," said Terry, "You all live together?"  
  
"Well, yeah, duh," Evan said casually. Jean reached over and smacked him on the back of the head.  
  
"What he means to say is yes, we all live in the Xavier Institution. Oh, don't worry," she added hastily, noting the look on Terry's face. To him, anything with the word "institution" was bad. "It's just a place where we can have more opportunity to learn and grow than if we were to stay at our homes." Terry still looked confused.  
  
"I see," he said, not actually seeing anything at all. There was a moment of silence and then everyone burst out laughing. "I'll have to check with my mother but I'm sure it'll be shui with her." Terry said, slipping back into his Gotham slang.  
  
"Shui?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Uhh…yeah. You know, shui, like…what's that word…cool?" Terry said, trying to translate his terminology.  
  
"Ah," she said as the lunch bell rang. The rest of the day went by quite uneventfully. Terry didn't get written up for fighting because, quite frankly, no one really cared if Lance got the crap beaten out of him besides his four friends, and they'd much rather get their revenge other ways. When the final bell rang, Terry thanked Scott for showing him around got the number for the institute, so he could call to confirm or deny the dinner plans.  
  
When Terry got home he had the house to himself; his mother worked until five and his brother still had another hour at school. He glanced at the clock. 3:15. He figured Hamilton Hill would be out of school by then, so he picked up the phone to call Max. The phone rang a few times and Max picked up.  
  
"Hello?" she queried.  
  
"Hey, Max, it's Terry," the boy replied.  
  
"Terry! How are you? How's…what's it called?"  
  
"Bayville," Terry replied. "Boring as all. I did kick some punk's ass today, though."  
  
"Already getting into trouble. What are we going to do with you?" Max said jokingly.  
  
"Yeah, well. Anyway, what's the news? How's Dana and everyone?"  
  
"Oh, they're fine. Chelsea and Nelson broke up…again. But they'll be back together soon enough. It's been kinda quiet around here with out you. Both of you, that is. The newscasters seem to think you've gone into hiding; they're losing stories. Oh, speaking of which, I started walking Ace in your absence, but Mr. Wayne still doesn't like me, and Ace is hard to win over as well,"  
  
"Yeah, well, you should feel honored he's letting you in on any part of his life. He doesn't really like people that much," Terry said, not specifying quite which being he was referring to.  
  
"Well that goes without saying. Hey Ter," she said, her voice suddenly going serious, "What if something happens? What if we need Batman? What are you going to do?"  
  
"Then you'll have to do without me," Terry said, startling Max. "I can't be Batman anymore. I have an obligation to my mother and Matt, and I've decided not to risk my life anymore. Gotham will survive, it always has. I'm sorry, Max, but that can't be my life anymore," Terry spoke with such finality that it was clear that part of their conversation was finished. After a moment of silence, Terry spoke up again. "Perhaps I should let you go. You probably have homework or something to do."  
  
"Right," Max replied. They both hung up and Terry crashed onto his bed. The last part of the phone conversation had been said purely to convince himself that it was the right thing to give up being Batman. Of course, Terry had been forced to move with his mother and brother, but there was always the possibility that he could continue being a vigilante. He shook himself. No, Terry thought, It's better that I'm not Batman. I can't afford to become obsessed with it; it was an after school job, that's all. An after school job that consumed my life, he continued to think bitterly. Terry didn't realize how tired he was as he drifted off into a light afternoon sleep.  
  
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Another chapter in! It'll get more exciting soon; I have great expectations for the next chapter. Thanks for your input, it really helps! Happy reading! 


	3. Enter the Institution

A/N: Hey, here's this long chapter you were dying for. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out the perfect predicament, and this was the original focal point of the story, but I really like the direction it's heading. Oh, and I really do want to say that I'm sorry, I was wrong. It's schway, not shui, although that could work, considering it means water or something like that. And water's cool! Okay, so I'm really stretching it…I think my wastebasket is in my thinking area…(sorry…bad joke…I'll stop). And, (one more thing) if I get anything wrong, I'm sorry. It doesn't seem right, but I went to the X-men: E site and it said Ororo Munroe, so I guess that's it. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter Three (the long one)  
  
Terry woke up with a start as he heard the door slam and the familiar voices of his family. As he stiffly got up, he glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand: it read five o'clock. As the black haired boy emerged from his room, he saw his mother taking off her jacket and his brother already sitting entranced before the vidscreen.  
  
"Welcome home. Where did Matt go this afternoon?" Terry asked, indicating his brother.  
  
"Well, he went over to a friend's house after school and I got out of work a little early so I swung by to pick him up. How was your day, Ter?" she recounted.  
  
"It was fine. Some friends invited me over for dinner tonight, can I go?" Terry said. His mother never really expected to get much of an answer about Terry's school days: he was never forthcoming with the information. Mary, however, was excited that her son had made some friends.  
  
"I'm so glad you've found a niche already! This is good. Of course you can go, unless, of course, you'll be in danger," she looked at him, mentally pleading he wouldn't get into trouble.  
  
"Mom, you know me better now. I would never do that again." He said it with such confidence that Mary had to believe him. She turned away from her eldest son and started washing her hands in the kitchen sink, where the two had wandered.  
  
"What are these friends like?" Mary asked.  
  
"Uh," Terry began. He didn't really know what to say. "They're normal, I guess. Nothing spectacular about them from what I've gathered," he finally managed to say.  
  
"Oh, that's nice, Ter. I'm glad you have some friends. What time are you expected at their house?"  
  
"I dunno, I have to call them now," Terry said and then he left to do so. When he called the number someone he didn't know answered the phone.  
  
"Hello?" he said in a quite gruff, unfriendly voice.  
  
"Um, hey, is Scott Summers there?" Terry asked, mentally noting that he really hadn't needed to add the last name.  
  
"Yeah, hold on a second," the guy said into the phone. Terry then heard his distanced voice calling out. "Scott! Phone!" It was all quite unceremonious.  
  
"Hello," answered Scott.  
  
"Hey, it's Terry," the boy said. "Is it still okay about dinner?"  
  
"Yeah. Is it alright if you come over around seven-ish?"  
  
"That's fine. How do I get to this institution of yours, anyway?" Directions followed and the two got off the phone. As Terry hung up, he saw that his little brother had weaseled his way into the room.  
  
"Was that a new girlfriend?" he asked playfully.  
  
"No, twip. Did you go to your girlfriend's house this afternoon?" Terry quipped back.  
  
"No!" Matt said, disgusted at the suggestion. Terry tackled his little brother and the two ended up on the floor laughing so hard they had stomachaches.  
  
  
  
Terry faced the huge building in front of him. He glanced at the address he had written down and matched it with the one on the pillar-like gate. As Terry approached the building, he noted how extravagant everything was, like the fountain in the middle of the turnaround and the tall oaken doors. Terry cautiously rang the doorbell and a tinny sound came from the other side. Terry heard footsteps and someone answered the door.  
  
"Hey," Kitty said, holding open one of the big double doors. "Come on in. Want me to take your jacket?" Terry answered affirmatively and stepped into the house. Well, it wasn't quite a house; it was more of a mansion. Kitty led him through the big, open hallway into what apparently was the living room. Everyone he had eaten with at lunch was there, along with a few adults.  
  
"You remember everyone, right? Scott, Jean, Evan, Kurt and Rogue," Kitty said, indicating each. Then she moved on to the adults. "This is Mr. Logan and Professor Xavier." Logan nodded and said 'hey' and Terry automatically registered the voice as the one who had answered the phone. Professor Xavier spoke.  
  
"Hello, Terry, have a seat," his voice was kind and Terry just figured the kids had told him his name.  
  
"Thank you," Terry responded as he took the proffered seat next to Kurt.  
  
"Hey, does anyone one want anything to drink? Terry?" Kitty asked. Everyone threw out various drink orders except the professor and Logan. Kitty took Evan and the pair went to get them.  
  
"So, Terry, I hear you're from Gotham. What brings you to Bayville?" Xavier asked.  
  
"My mom's job. She got promoted and transferred. My brother Matt seems to really enjoy it here; it's a better environment than the city. I think Gotham is a little too dangerous for kids, what with all the gangs and stuff, but I enjoyed it there," Terry replied. He did really enjoy his life in Gotham, when he wasn't risking it or too tired to function.  
  
"What of your father? What does he do?" the professor asked, attempting to be nice.  
  
"My dad? Oh, my dad died a while back," Terry said remorsefully. No matter how much he tried to distance himself from the image of his father, Terry still felt partly responsible for his death. That's what being Batman had been good for, until…  
  
Kitty and Evan broke the awkward silence by coming in with the drinks.  
  
"So, Gotham," Kitty started. "That's the Batman City. I hear this guy is superhuman or something."  
  
"Yeah, and he's really strong," Evan put in. This got the entire circle in a big debate, aside from four people. Xavier and Logan didn't join in the conversation, Terry didn't know what he would've said, and Rogue was sitting on the outskirts, not really doing much of anything aside from sipping her orange soda. Terry noted that Rogue was a little different than the rest of the gang; she was quiet and distant. Terry didn't have time to finish his thoughts as Kurt said his name.  
  
"Terry, have you seen Batman?" Kurt asked, obviously enjoying every minute of the conversation.  
  
"Me? Um, no," he lied. What was he going to say, that he was Batman?  
  
"That's too bad," Kurt said. Then he changed the subject. "Is dinner ready yet? I'm starving!"  
  
"You always seem to be starving, Kurt," said Jean. "Let me go check." The food was ready, and very good. Hamburgers and Veggie Burgers (for Kitty) were being passed around. Throughout the dinner conversation, Terry learned that Evan had an aunt who was also living here, Ororo. It was pleasant eating with all of these people, because even though there were so many of them, they all got along. Professor Xavier sat at the head of the table with Logan on his right. Aside from that arrangement, there seemed to be no particular order in which the kids sat. Finally, everyone was full, the idle chatter was continuing, and no one had quite seemed to notice that Evan was gone. Terry leaned over to Scott, who was sitting next to him.  
  
"Hey, Scott, can you tell me where your bathroom is?" Terry asked.  
  
"Oh sure. You go out into the hall, go up the staircase and it's right in the middle of that hallway, on the left," Scott said, visibly trying to recall the directions. Terry attempted to organize those thoughts as he got up to go, but it was virtually impossible. He was suddenly relieved he didn't live in a mansion: too much to remember. Terry found the bathroom easily enough, but when he was finished, he honestly didn't know which way to turn. The ends of both hallways looked the same and he was turned around. He remembered Scott saying something about left, so that was the way he tried. That was the first mistake. As he went down the stairs, he realized that it was the wrong way, but something kept him from turning back: he heard a voice and it sounded like it was yelling. Terry continued down the alien hallway towards what seemed to be the source of the cries until he came to a big, metal door.  
  
It was stated that Terry's first mistake was turning down the wrong hallway. His second mistake, though, was more force-of-habit than anything else. Upon hearing the cries from behind the door, Terry pulled out the little explosives he had a tendency of keeping on his person even though he had, on multiple occasions, denied that he would ever be Batman again. He also produced some compact Batarangs he subconsciously wore just in case something unpleasant was on the other side. Placing the explosives inside of the lock, Terry rushed away from the door to shield himself from the oncoming blast. The little explosives did their job quite effectively but as soon as the door was breached and alarm system set off.  
  
Ignoring the irritating siren, Terry stepped into the room and within seconds was caught up in the horror of it all. Evan was in there, obviously out of breath and bleeding, clothes torn. To an outsider, it would seem that the room was attacking the bleach-haired boy; and, in fact, it was. Lasers popped out of the wall and shot at the boy, and other implements of destruction weren't far behind. A long snake-like structure managed to smack Evan in the back just as he was shooting spikes at it. With the other boy down, Terry didn't know quite how to react. Without thinking he took the Batarang poised in his hand and threw it at what seemed to be the core of the metal snake. The machine stopped, but the rest of the room didn't.  
  
Before he could react again, Terry felt something hot hit his cheek. When he put up a hand to check, it came back with blood. He looked across the room and thought he saw, just at a glance, something black and shiny. The boy didn't stand in awe for long: he was forced to jump aside as another laser targeted him. Trying to watch his back, Terry didn't see the quite blue, fuzzy thing until after he had teleported into the hallway. Once out of the room, Terry leaned back against the wall, trying to soak up all of what had happened. He heard the sounds of the strange room die down and had barely issued a sigh of relief when rough hands picked him up by the collar of his shirt.  
  
"What the HELL do you think you were doing in there?!" The growling voice barked. Terry smacked his head against the wall in a vain attempt to get away from Logan's snarling features.  
  
"I-I don't know," he managed to sputter. "I heard someone yelling so I went to check it out. Who knew you had a death trap in this place!"  
  
"Logan, set him down. There may be more to this than meets the eye," Professor Xavier said, wheeling up. Rogue walked up to the distraught Terry, reached out a handkerchief and faltered a bit before placing the cold cloth on his face. Terry looked up to survey the people standing there. Evan was sitting up a little bit away while a woman Terry didn't know cleaned up his wounds. Rogue was right next to Terry and a fuming Logan was standing a ways off with Professor Xavier creating a wall between Terry and the rough adult. The boy saw Scott, Jean and Kitty standing away from the commotion, but Kurt was no where to be seen. Down the hall a little distance Terry could see the door to the Death-Trap room looking quite mangled. Without even looking up, Terry could tell the entire congregation was looking at him. He got frustrated.  
  
"Hey, look, I didn't know you had some kind of 'secret society'. I heard someone in trouble and came to check it out," the boy said rapidly, desperately searching for material to defend himself with.  
  
"Okay, slow down. Start from the beginning. What happened?" Xavier said soothingly. Terry took a deep breath.  
  
"I got up to go the restroom and when I came out, I got confused. I guess I took a wrong turn, but I heard someone yelling." His head was throbbing and his cheek hurt, but he continued on. "I saw that there was that big door. The yelling was coming from the other side and I wouldn't have done anything, but it was frantic. I pulled out the…um, means to open the door and I did." Terry was cut off.  
  
"And just where did you get these 'means' of yours?" Logan asked sharply.  
  
"Wait your turn, Logan. Let the boy finish." Professor Xavier had a tone that kindly, but firmly, punished impatient little children. "Continue," he said, prompting Terry.  
  
"So I go into this room and the whole damn- oh, sorry, the whole room is attacking Evan here, so naturally I help. The snake-thing slices me and Evan attacks it with spikes while I use my Batarangs to fight. Then, just as I'm about to be fragged, I end up out here with everyon-" Terry cut off, letting the words of his sentence sink in. He saw the many furtive glances bounce around and he looked at Evan. "Spikes?" He tore his glance away from the ashamed-looking boy to Professor Xavier and repeated himself. "Spikes." Professor Xavier held up an object that had gone unnoticed until that point.  
  
"Yes, it seems we all have things to discuss. Shall we take this upstairs?" The group did so: Evan with the help of his aunt and Scott. Terry kept his focus straight ahead, not bothering to notice Kurt bringing up the rear, his little fuzzy tail dragging along the ground.  
  
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So, you all likey? Thanks for all your reviews so far, I feel so loved! And your comments really help, so I hope you enjoy it! Hmmm…What can the significance of that shiny figure Terry saw be? Oh, and is everyone up a creek with stick this time! You keep reading, I keep coming! 


	4. agreements and explanations

Chapter Four – agreements and explanations  
  
Upstairs, the group was congregated in the room they had been in before, but the atmosphere was completely different. Instead of the lighthearted, shallow conversation the room had been enveloped in before, the mood was dark and foreboding with weighted silences and furtive glances. Terry sat nervously in an armchair looking worriedly at Logan's back, making sure the painfully strong man wouldn't 'attack' again.  
  
"So, Terry, it seems you have quite a bit of explaining to do." As Professor Xavier spoke, everyone looked up at him except for Terry. "Well?"  
  
"Well what? I told you what happened. I got lost, I heard screams, and I found Evan. You guys should be thankful unless, by some odd twist of fate you don't care about this kid," Terry said, his tone quite bitter.  
  
"That's a very unpleasant thing to say, Terry. We are grateful for your intervention, but we want to know how this got into the room. You mentioned Batarangs?" Professor Xavier said, indicating the object in his hands. Terry's face paled.  
  
"I-I don't know!" Terry said weakly.  
  
"Terry, how did you end up with these?" Xavier said, concentrating on the teenage boy in front of him. Terry mumbled something incoherently. "What?" Xavier asked.  
  
"They're leftovers," he said louder. "Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. I'm not Batman. I stopped that awhile back, before I left. I didn't mean to have the Batarangs or the explosives, but they were left over and it was pure habit that I put them on, I swear." He could hear the audible gasps of everyone around him, except from maybe the professor and, of course, Logan. That guy never seemed to show emotion unless it was rage.  
  
"I see," Professor Xavier said, almost patronizingly. It was humiliating for Terry to sit there and tell his best-guarded secret to nine people all at once. He couldn't believe how forthcoming he actually was with the information. He tried to avoid making eye contact with the people around him. The Professor spoke up again. "Well, because you have been kind enough to grace us with your explanation, I think we owe you one. Unfortunately, this is neither the time nor the place. Good evening, I hope you have a safe trip home." There was a certain degree of finality in the professor's voice that Terry didn't argue. Instead, he just gave a contemptuous glare to the group and left.  
  
Terry closed the door behind him and stared out into the night. It was chillier than it had been before, but Terry couldn't quite figure out why until he heard something drop on the ground behind him. Whipping around, the boy saw what appeared to be…fingers going into the door? He played it off as a trick of the light as he picked up the jacket strewn on the ground.  
  
Inside the mansion, the group stood around, quite in awe at what just passed. It took a moment, but Rogue spoke up.  
  
"Well that was rude," she said.  
  
"I'm sorry if it appeared that way, Rogue, but I tried to dismiss him as politely as possible. You see, it wasn't time to explain us to him," Professor Xavier said.  
  
"Yeah, but he just totally spilled his secrets to us, so why didn't we tell him? I have a feeling that he doesn't tell just everyone," Kitty pointed out.  
  
"You have a point Kitty, but it's getting late and I think everyone's had enough excitement for awhile. Evan, you'll be exempt from school tomorrow, but you should get to bed soon as well. Good evening." With the final words, Professor Xavier went into the other room. On his way out, he gave a subtle nod to Logan and Ororo and they followed him.  
  
In the other room, which happened to be the professor's study, Xavier placed the videotape he had been holding into the VCR. Ororo sat down on the couch, but Logan remained standing. After a moment of wondering what they were actually watching, Xavier spoke.  
  
"This is the security tape for the Danger Room's control room. Before the alarm went off, I felt another presence in the house, but I couldn't place it. Perhaps this tape will provide some answers." The other two adults didn't speak because, at the moment the professor stopped talking, the security tape began. Through the black and white they could make out a black person-like form until…  
  
"What in the world…?" Ororo managed. "Was that a mutant?"  
  
"I don't know, Ororo, but it definitely had intentions. Perhaps we were wrong to send that boy out so early. We may need a new mind about all of this." Logan could feel the unease coming from Professor Xavier's voice and he became wary as well.  
  
Inside the McGinnis' new house, Mary was watching the evening news. She heard the sound of a door closing and she turned around to see Terry standing in the doorway.  
  
"Hey sweetie, how was-" she was cut off by her son.  
  
"I'm going to bed. Night," he said shortly as he lumbered into his room. Not bothering to turn on the light, Terry took off his shirt. He flopped down onto the bed and tried to order his thoughts of all of the confusion that had taken place. Unfortunately, Terry didn't progress very far into his thoughts, as he was soon asleep.  
  
The next morning, Terry lumbered out of bed. He went through his paces in a zombie-like manner, wishing with all his might that he were back in Gotham. He'd rather be dealing with Mad Stan or be locked in a room with Nelson for a day than go to school. Well, okay, so maybe the Nelson thing was taking it a little too far, but the point is understood.  
  
The entire way to school, Terry thought of ways to avoid the "freaks". Okay, so maybe that was a little harsh, but seriously, how was he supposed to deal with this? Entirely too soon, Terry reached the high school. Sluggishly, he climbed up the stairs and into the building. Dreading every moment of it, Terry went to his first class and sat down, noticing Scott but not acknowledging him. Tensions were too high. The youth tried not to notice as Scott approached him, but it was hard seeing as he didn't have anyone to distract him. The glasses-wearing boy approached, standing a fair distance away from Terry.  
  
"Terry," he began. He was cut off.  
  
"Trying to find more ways to make me feel unwelcome?" Terry asked spitefully. Scott was offended, but Terry didn't notice.  
  
"Not at all. Actually, I need to talk to you about two things. One, everyone is extremely apologetic about what happened last night. We did not try to appear rude; it's just…unusual we need to face that situation. Secondly, we need your help. It seems like something is more troublesome than we thought. We need a new consultant, someone who might be a little more…worldly. Do you still have it?" Terry was about to answer Scott's queries, but the school bell rang, cutting Terry off. On the way back to his seat, Scott spoke.  
  
"Eat with us today. I'll buy your lunch." Terry nodded, not really knowing what to do. Everything was so weird. What kind of people threw you out of their crazy house and then offered to buy you food the next day? Terry barely had time to collect his thoughts before the teacher started speaking.  
  
Lunch approached sooner than Terry would have hoped. He languidly got out of his seat and took his time going to lunch. In his mind, Terry was running through all of the incredibly horrible things that could happen. Oh, and the fact that everyone probably hated him didn't help. But, for some unknown reason, Terry was giving them a second chance. Terry went through the lunch line and tried to locate where the other kids were sitting. He noticed Scott approaching and walked towards him.  
  
"How much was your lunch?" Scott asked, fishing in his pocket for some money. Terry was almost disgusted; he was giving them a second chance, there was no way he would take their charity.  
  
"I covered it," Terry said. Scott was persistent.  
  
"Oh, come on, I told you I'd pay for it, so I will."  
  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Terry asked, blatantly avoiding the subject.  
  
"Oh, that. Let's sit down to talk," Scott said, offering a table full of his friends. Conversation ceased for a minute, and after everyone – minus Evan – saw who was at the table, they continued on whatever tangent they had been on. Scott sat down and motioned Terry to do the same.  
  
"First of all, I want to apologize profusely about what happened. I don't think we realized how rude we were bei-" Scott was cut off for the second time.  
  
"Cut to the chase." Terry was ready to combat rudeness with rudeness if he had to. One real, sincere apology would've been enough, but he was getting sick of Scott's ramblings.  
  
"Okay then," Scott said, a little perturbed. Then he lowered his voice. "We have the security tape of what happened, and we want you to look at it; maybe it's something you're familiar with, because we've never seen it before and it's not technically registering as a mutant. So if you could come check the tape out and just say you know or you don't know what's going on, that would be greatly appreciated," Scott finished. Terry had noticed that as Scott lowered his voice, all conversation ceased. Terry took a moment to contemplate his answer and he finally grasped the one he wanted.  
  
"Okay, I'll do it," Terry said slowly.  
  
"Really?" Kitty apparently couldn't help saying.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Under one condition, though," Terry said, leaning back into his chair.  
  
"What's that?" Scott said in a very business-like behavior.  
  
"I want you to tell me what the hell is going on with you people, and show me what you can do. If you can't do that, then no deal," Terry finished almost smugly. Scott took a moment to glance around at his peers. Jean gave a small nod and the glasses sporting youth turned back to the black-haired one.  
  
"Deal. We'll take you home after school," Scott offered. Terry looked up at him.  
  
"I'm not a pet, you know," he said. Before Scott could respond, the bell rang, signifying the end of their lunch period. As the group cleaned up their area, Jean came up to Terry.  
  
"Um, Terry?" she asked, kind of shyly.  
  
"Yeah, what," he said in return.  
  
"Well, the professor was wondering if you still had it. You know, the outfit," Jean asked, throwing away the uneaten part of her meal.  
  
"Do all memories run short here? I said I quit, so why would I have it?" Terry said, not looking at Jean.  
  
"I don't know, it was just an innocent question!" Jean defended, obviously not liking Terry's tone. The boy just strode off, leaving a fuming Jean behind. As he walked away, he could feel the hair on the back of his neck raise for no apparent reason.  
  
After school, Terry waited on the steps of the school for Scott to drive him to the mansion and a thought crossed his mind. He promptly pulled out his cell phone and left a message on his home answering machine. Not that his mother would really notice he was gone anyway, but it was always nice to check. Terry saw Scott pull up in a *very* nice looking convertible. Kurt, Kitty and Rogue were squeezed in the back seat so the shotgun was left for Terry. During the skeet conversation in the car, Terry learned that Jean was getting another ride home, but she would be there in a little bit. The black-haired boy noticed with a smirk that the tone of voice used to reply Terry's inquiries was a 'hands off' tone.  
  
They reached the mansion and Terry got out of the car. The five students went up to the house and walked in the large oaken doors. When Kitty offered to take Terry's jacket, he refused, claiming he was more comfortable with it on. He knew it was bordering rude, but if he had to make another hasty farewell Terry preferred to have his coat with him. Kitty invited Terry to sit in a chair while Kurt went to get some soda for the rest of the kids. Rogue sat apart, Terry noticed, and she always seemed to be removed from the group. Scott sat down on the couch and, after a minute, spoke up.  
  
"So, when do you want to see this tape?" he asked.  
  
"When I get a good explanation of what's going on. I prefer not to work with people I know nothing about," Terry said, taking a sip from the can in his hands.  
  
"Well, we should probably wait for Jean. Oh, and the professor should be joining us soon," Scot said in reply. The silence continued until Terry spoke up.  
  
"How's…Evan doing?" he asked, taking a minute to recall his name. This time Kurt – who had long since come in and was seated on the floor – answered.  
  
"He is doing fine. He just got to sleep today because it vas emotionally and physically draining last night." Terry nodded in acknowledgement. As soon as Kurt finished, Jean walked in the door.  
  
"Sorry it took me so long. Duncan…again," she said, apparently directing it at Kitty. The ponytailed girl giggled and motioned for Jean to sit down.  
  
"So," Kitty said, "When are we going to start this?"  
  
"I know," Terry said, "How about now? Someone tells me what the hell is going on, and then you can show off whatever powers you all possess. Unless, of course, I am wrong in assuming that Evan is not the only one with freakish powers."  
  
"No, no, you're right," Scott said. "It's like this: we are what you might consider "mutants". Our genetic makeup is slightly different than a normal person's and as a result we have quote-unquote "super powers". It's nothing too special; we just use them to keep the other mutants in the world from getting out of hand, like it's our duty. Does that fill in some gaps?"  
  
"Schway," Terry said. "Yeah, that clears up some stuff. Now, what are your powers?"  
  
"Well, I guess we'll start with me and go around the circle ending with…Rogue?" Scott offered. Everyone seemed to agree. "So, yesterday you were wondering about the glasses. Well, give me a target." Terry was taken aback. Scott was an odd one and if anyone could follow his thoughts they were either very intelligent or very simple.  
  
"Um…well, aim for this can," Terry said, placing the empty soda can on the end table next to his chair. Scott agreed and lowered his glasses. It was just for a moment, but Terry could see some sort of red light radiate from Scott's optical area and hit the can. The aluminum hit the ground with a hole burned through it. When Terry looked up again, the sunglasses were back to their original position and Scott was look at Kitty, who was closest to his left.  
  
"Um, okay, I guess it's my turn. Try not to get too freaked out, okay?" she said kind of nervously. Terry watched in amazement as she picked up on of the pillows on the couch and promptly put her arm through it. The spectator was disbelieving at first.  
  
"That has to be some kind of magic trick," he said. Kitty gave him an "is it?" look and walked over to him. She placed her arm through his body and tucked the tag into the back of his shirt.  
  
"Sorry," she said. "That was really bothering me." Terry didn't know what to think. He wasn't sure if he was going to throw up or jump up with the amount of excitement coursing through his veins. He looked over to Jean, who was next in line.  
  
"And you?" he asked, thirsting for more. Jean looked at him for a moment and then over to the can Scott shot down. Her eyes followed it as it floated into the air and onto Terry's head. The boy sat there in shock (again) for another moment and then the can fell off his head. Then Terry looked at Kurt, who was sitting on the floor. Kurt glanced at Terry and then switched his focus to Scott.  
  
"Do I have to? He'll just think I'm a freak," Kurt said in a tone comparable to shy kitten. Scott didn't have time to answer before Terry jumped in.  
  
"Hey, you know what? I've dealt with radioactive CEOs, fathers who have possessed their daughters for youth, speaking gorillas and much more. You can't be that freakish," positive that his speech had given the confidence needed to show the powers, Terry leaned back.  
  
"Vell, all right, but just don't say I didn't varn you," Kurt said. He fiddled with his watch and before Terry's eyes turned into a hunched over, fuzzy blue…thing. Terry was taken aback.  
  
"Is that your power? You get to change like that?" he said presumptuously.  
  
"Vell, actually, no. I'm normally like this but the professor just made a modifier so that I could fit into school. My power is teleportation," Kurt explained. With a puff of smoke, Kurt disappeared and, before Terry could jump up out of his seat or make a fool of himself, a fuzzy blue Kurt walked in the door.  
  
"Way schway! So that's how we got out of the mess!" Terry said excitedly. He then turned to Rogue. "What about you?"  
  
"No. I won't do it."  
  
"Come on Rogue. Please?" Scott said, almost begging.  
  
"Do * you * want to show him how my power works?" she said sharply.  
  
"Well…no, but…" Scot managed before Terry cut in.  
  
"Maybe, if you are that reluctant, an explanation will do?"  
  
"Well, okay," Rogue started in her slow, Louisiana drawl. "When someone touches my skin, I inherit their powers and memories. It's something like a absorb their life force, and if I'm not careful…" Rogue trailed off.  
  
"I understand," Terry said solemnly. "I have an idea of what having that kind of power is like." The thick silence raged on until Professor Xavier came into the room.  
  
"I believe you all have the formalities finished? Good. Terry, will you follow me?" Terry did as he was told. The two went into what looked like a study and Terry sat down. He looked at the monitor as the tape started playing. Looking closely, he saw the exact opposite to what he wanted.  
  
"Oh shit…" he trailed. Xavier looked up at him with a questioningly glance.  
  
"What is it?" the bald man asked.  
  
"A lot worse than I could've imagined." Terry looked up gravely. "Inque."  
  
++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Hey you all! This is the longest one yet! I hope it's not getting too dry for everyone. Oh, and I want to apologize for the looooong time between chapters. I'm usre everyone has that time of anti-inspiration, and school was getting pretty heavy. So, if you like, review please! 


	5. The Visit

A/N: Hey you guys! Guess who's NOT dead! That's right, it's me! I sure was gone for awhile, but it went quickly. So, here's the story with this chapter: I had like two more pages written, but I decided I hated it. I'm sorry this is so short, but I'm still hammering out the details. A new chapter will hopefully be up soon! Thanks for reading!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 5 - Onward and Upward  
  
Terry sat back and massaged his temples: it was going to be a long ride. The last hour was blurred together in his head and he tried to sort things out. He saw the tape with Inque on it, they demanded an explanation and he gave it. He called his mom and told her, obscurely, that he was staying out for the night, then he was hurried on to a jet with Kitty, Kurt and Rogue back to the place where he just barely escaped. This was going to be one hellish night. The sun was just starting to go down over the horizon and it was obvious the crew wasn't going to make it to Gotham before sundown. There were so many loose ends that Terry just couldn't figure things out. Terry was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Kurt say his name.  
  
"Terry," they fuzzy blue guy repeated. Terry looked up quickly.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked.  
  
"Just checking in. You look zoned out. How do we get to this Wayne guy's house anyway?" Kurt said, keeping his steering wheel steady with his tail.  
  
"Oh no, we have to go there, don't we!?" The black haired boy said, as if realizing it for the first time.  
  
"Well, duh, how else are we going to get that suit of yours?" Rogue said, quite crossly. Terry gave her a look behind her back and turned back to Kurt.  
  
"You don't understand, the guy hates me now. I'm surprised he's letting Max walk his dog; the guy hates everyone." Terry spoke as if alone.  
  
"But I thought you worked with him for a long time. What happened, if you don't mind me asking," Kitty said.  
  
"Well, it's a long story, but I knew it was going to come up one of these days. As much as I hate to tell it, you guys are the ones I can trust, which is weird because trust is very hard to come by these days. Anyway, I was out on patrol one night and I see some girls getting harassed by the Jokerz - one of the city-wide gangs - so I go down to check it out. It ends up being my closest friend Max, my girlfriend, Dana, and this girl, Melanie. Now, Melanie's walking trouble. She used to be part of this gang with her family called the Royal Flush Gang. She claims she's clean but I'm wary around her all the same. Oh, and she hates Batman and screwed with me, so we're not on the best of terms. Anyway, I roughed the Jokerz up a bit and they all left, except one who was giving me trouble. We got into a fight and the girls were standing off to the side. Max told me later that her and Dana were walking when they saw Melanie being tormented, so they decided to help, but they didn't do much good.  
  
"So me and this punk are fighting and as I knock him out, he manages to pull off my mask. I'm positive he didn't see my face, but the girls did. Max already knew but Dana felt betrayed and wouldn't have anything to do with me, and I don't know where Melanie ended up. So I got back from patrol that night and Bruce went off on me about how careless I was and how I endangered the lives of the girls as well as our own, and I yelled back and quit. That's my story, that's why I'm not Batman, okay?" By the time Terry finished everyone was quiet and there was a heavy silence around the cockpit-area. After a moment, Rogue spoke up.  
  
"So what of this Melanie girl? Any chance she could've told on you? Or your girlfriend.Dana?" Rogue knew this was dangerous territory, but she felt the need to try.  
  
"Dana would never do that!" Terry defended. "Melanie, on the other hand."the black-haired boy trailed off. "That's why Wayne was so mad. I can't go back now; he doesn't acknowledge my presence anymore, but apparently I'm not the first. If Melanie told, it could be all over the net, or worse, in some unwanted ears."  
  
"All the more reason to go back, right? You'll want to redeem yourself and weed the ones that know out. I bet you don't run away easily, so this has to be a hard thing, but running away never got anyone anywhere." Kitty said, trying to boost Terry's confidence. It didn't seem to be working very well. To everyone's surprise, Terry only said:  
  
"Oh, to Hell with it. I give up." Everyone was silent until they reached Gotham. Terry was sick of everything that was going on; maybe if he stopped trying, things would get better? No, no, that wasn't the way to go about it, Terry just couldn't think of what to do. His confused thoughts somehow lulled the boy into a shallow sleep.  
  
When Terry woke up, the jet was landing on the estate of Wayne Manor. Great, thought Terry, God I wish this wasn't about to happen. Kurt managed to land their craft safely and the group prepared to get out. When all of the noises stopped, Terry could hear one thing: a dog barking. Not a friendly bark either, more like the bark of a massive Dane mix that wanted to know who the hell was bothering him. Terry was almost relieved at the sound of Ace's bark: it was reassuring in a very strange way.  
  
The X-men exited the jet first, letting Terry take his time. As Rogue, the last out of the X-men group, got off, a giant black shape came hurdling towards her. Rogue let out a little yelp before two very big paws knocked the breath out of her. Terry was getting off of the jet when he saw Rogue go down.  
  
"Ace! Off!" the boy commanded. The dog ceased his aggressive behavior at once and perked up his ears. This time Terry was charged at by the dog, but Terry ended up with the wind knocked out of him and a very wet, slobbery face.  
  
"Eww.Stupid.Mutt." Terry found himself forgetting his state of mind to play with the dog. The boy finally managed to haul Ace off of him and the dog was beside himself with joy. Terry scratched his ears, but an all-too- familiar voice brought him back to reality.  
  
"What are you doing here?" the dry, apathetic voice of Bruce Wayne said. Terry looked up, he noticed the X-men had migrated behind him.  
  
"We should go inside for this," Terry said, surprised at the confidence in his own voice; inside he was as scared as all get-out. Wayne didn't move.  
  
"What do you want," Bruce said again.  
  
"Listen, we have a situation that's not exactly intelligent to speak about in the open, so if you could take us inside, I could tell you what's going on. It's not like you have anything better to do," Terry said, getting very impatient with the old man. His brief happiness from seeing the dog was long gone and he just wanted to get things done. After a moment, Bruce turned to leave and Terry followed, motioning for the others to do the same.  
  
The group advanced to the cold, dark house. Once inside, Rogue made a sarcastic "Cheery" comment, but Wayne's glare shut her up. The old man did not offer his guests anything: no food, no drinks. It was obvious he didn't want them to stay. Terry sat down and the dog jumped up on the couch, preventing the others from sitting down. The boy stroked Ace's strong features then turned to his once-mentor that had already settled himself in a chair.  
  
"Well.?" Bruce questioned.  
  
"To make a long story short," Terry started, "I met these guys, the X-men, and went over to their mansion. They have this 'danger room' and one of the kids got caught up in it when it mysteriously turned on. I helped him out, I told the group I was Batman, I saw a security tape and confirmed it as Inque. Now, as I am one of the only hopes against mass destruction, I would like to have the suit." Bruce didn't move for a moment after Terry finished, but then he spoke up.  
  
"Why can't they do it?" Bruce said, indicating the three other people. Terry looked at the X-Men. They all cowered for a moment but Kitty finally managed to speak up.  
  
"Um, Sir? We'd be happy to help fight this Inque chick, but it's really not our jurisdiction. Like, I know you and Terry don't get along real well, but one of our friends was almost killed and we don't know anything about this lady. Batman could really help," she said. Bruce deliberated for a moment; the tension was binding. Bruce finally spoke up.  
  
"No, I can't let you do this anymore. This shouldn't be your problem; it's too dangerous. Go home and live your life; don't come back, it won't do you any good. Goodnight," the old man said, signifying the end of their conversation. Terry was infuriated but he didn't say anything. He was formulating a plan.  
  
Outside of the manor, Terry didn't speak for quite some time. The air was heavy and the breeze was cool. Once they reached the jet, Terry pulled out his phone and started dialing numbers. The X-men had no idea what was going on. The old man said no, so they leave, right? Absolutely not. The three heard the conversation from Terry's side, but they were still confused.  
  
"Hey, you're working for him now? Good. Have you been down.no, okay, well you wouldn't happen to know if the suit's in the same.it is? Okay, great. Thanks, bye." The phone beeped off and Terry turned to the group. "I have a plan," he said, "And it's very fortunate all of you came along." 


	6. The Painful Truth

Hey guys!!!!! I really apologize for the hiatus, but if you've ever written, you know how it is to feel uninspired one week and want desperately to write the next. Also, I apologize for the length (or lack thereof) of this chapter. My stopping point was sooner than expected. Quite honestly, I don't know when I'll get chapter seven up, (I'm starting school on the 21st) but I hope it'll be soon. And (one more thing, I promise!) look for the upcoming "The Soirée" in the Batman section of the comics! Thanks for waiting!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Six - The Painful Truth  
  
Rogue was still thoroughly confused as to what was going on, but as long as she wasn't involved too deeply it didn't matter. She assumed Kitty and Kurt had some sort of idea or else they would've said something, so the southerner decided to 'go with the flow' instead of saying anything; Terry seemed pissed or stressed or something. The small group was situated on a very small ledge on the outside of the property and the plan was to have Kitty go through the wall with Terry as Kurt teleported with Rogue into what was apparently a cave. Rogue just hoped that Terry really knew what he was doing; if he misjudged they could fall into an abyss on the other side. She heard Terry say something quietly.  
  
"Let's get this thing started." He said, Kitty and Kurt looked at him and nodded and Kitty took his hand while Kurt grasped Rogue's gloved fingers. Kitty started into the rocks and Nightcrawler was gone in a sulfuric puff of smoke. Rogue closed her eyes. She was used to teleporting but if she went plummeting to her death she'd rather not watch. The seconds were tense but as soon as she felt solid ground under her feet she opened her eyes to one of the most amazing rooms she had ever been in. It was obviously a cave, but it was decorated with what looked like memorabilia. There was a huge dinosaur and it looked like a museum. She saw Terry and Kitty come phasing through the wall and it took Terry only a moment to regroup his thoughts being the newbe to the powers he was. He took a second to get his bearings and then pointed to a series of glass cases.  
  
"Over there," he whispered, afraid that someone else - or Ace - would hear. "Kurt, take Kitty over there and grab it, then get back here and do you think you can put us on the jet again? Thanks." Terry didn't really wait a response, he just took it for granted that everyone would understand, and they did. Everything went without a hitch until Kitty got the suit out. She phased the suit through the glass, but so much dust had collected on it that it puffed up when she brought it out. Kurt got caught in the dust and let out a very loud sneeze. Most of Hell broke loose. Ace came charging down the stairs followed (as fast as he could go) by Bruce. Kurt grabbed Kitty, teleported over to Rogue and Terry, grabbed and took off before Bruce had much time to react.  
  
The old man hurried over to the computer.  
  
"Computer: Commissioner Gordon." He waited a moment, and then a familiar voice picked up. "Barbara, Terry's been here."  
  
"Well how's he doing, Bruce?"  
  
"I could care less. He stole the suit, so I want you to take this yourself. No one else can mess with this."  
  
"Right. I'll be over there soon." Then she hung up. Bruce let out a deep sigh and leaned up against the computer.  
  
"What did I do wrong?" he asked himself rhetorically. He thought that working with Terry as Batman would break him away from his delinquency, but he was obviously wrong.  
  
When the four teenagers reached their jet, Terry ushered them on while he stayed on the ground, giving them explicit directions to find some other place to stow their craft, seeing as the Commissioner was going to be at Wayne Manor any second.  
  
"What about you?" Rogue asked, sounding genuinely concerned.  
  
"I'll be fine. I have to make a few visits and I'll meet up with you later. I'll use your radio frequency to get in contact," Terry said, being sure to sound confident. The last thing he needed was for his friends to have the same misgivings as he had.  
  
"Well, how do we get in contact with you?" the German-accented boy asked.  
  
"You don't," Terry replied in a very Batman-esque tone. While he was talking, he had been changing into the Batsuit, and after his last comment, he left the group in a stunned silence.  
  
Terry flew over Gotham's 'rich district', as it was more commonly called by his classmates, to the dingier part of town. Alighting on the roof of a building, Terry explored ways to open the skylight. To his surprise, it was open. The Batman slid silently down into the dark apartment, ready to wait for however long it took for its occupant to come home.  
  
Fortunately, the Bat didn't have to wait long. The absent-minded jingle of keys was resonating in the darkness. As the blonde-haired girl entered the room, the light from the hall filtered in, casting an eerie glow on Batman. When she turned around, the girl started at seeing the intruder, but Terry only saw half of her face in the hall's faint light.  
  
"Batman," she said. And then she came closer. "Terry."  
  
"Don't call me that, Melanie. Someone might hear you, and then I won't be happy," Terry said, in a slightly threatening tone of voice. Melanie backed up and sat down on the couch, looking at her shoes. Terry followed her over there and as she was sitting down, the black-haired boy noticed something on her face that had been intelligible before.  
  
"Mel," he said, "What happened to your face?" She looked up sharply, her bruised and blackened eye highlighted in the low light, but as soon as she met his masked eyes, she chickened out and looked down again.  
  
"I- I fell," she said. Terry scoffed.  
  
"That's not a falling bruise. Believe me; I've had more than one bruise like that. Now tell me: What happened?!" His voice was urgent. She may have been an ex-con, but Terry was worried for her welfare all the same.  
  
"It's nothing, Ter- Batman. Nothing at all," she said, placing a hand tenderly to her wound, but still not looking up.  
  
"When will you stop lying to me, Melanie? Just tell me already!" Terry was getting extremely impatient. In fact, it was a complete surprise to him how he had stuck together so well; stress was not something Terry usually dealt with well.  
  
"It's just that - well." she started off weakly. Then, something inside of her unlocked her inner confidence. "It was my father. Somehow he found out I knew who Batman was, after he got out of jail. He started hitting me and I didn't know what to do. No one else was there.not Jack or mother. I was so scared," the blonde-haired girl started crying. Terry looked alarmed, even through his mask.  
  
"You didn't." he started, but Melanie finished his thought.  
  
"I had to, Terry, I had to tell him. There was no way out of it. He would've killed me, his daughter, just to get revenge on you. I'm so sorry." Melanie seemed as if she had something else to say, but she couldn't break through the sobs. How could've this happened? Terry knew he was screwed. What he didn't know, however, was whether or not King knew that Dana and Max were also privy to Terry's secret. Or if - worst of all - Bruce was involved.  
  
"Melanie. Tell me the truth: does King know that Max and Dana know? Or about. anything else related to me?" Terry was relieved when he saw the girl shake her head, hands still supporting it. "Do you know anything else relating to his knowledge?" Terry asked, desperate for any kind of lead.  
  
"No," she managed to say. "Nothing except that he wants to kill you himself, but he'll use other measures to get you where he wants you. Terry," she started after a moment. She lifted her head only to find Batman was no longer in the room. She continued with her sentence anyway. "I'm so sorry. So sorry." 


	7. The Collection

You guys!!! I'm am sooooooooooo incredibly sorry! Words cannot express how sorry I am for putting this off! It's just, well, you know how things get. I hope this is okay, and more importantly, I hope I figure out where this is going. Honestly, any advice (and I mean _any_) is warmed and welcomed. Again, major apologies! This chapter is longer than most, so I hope something got accomplished. I'll really try to be more punctual next time, but I'm obviously not good at keeping the promises in the author's notes. Love ya all! BTW: Did anyone else notice the incredibly STRANGE similarity between Terry's eyebrows and Will Friedle's (his voice, of course) eyebrows? Maybe it's just something I, the insaneness herself, noticed. But honestly, check it out.

Chapter Seven – The Collection

Terry sped back to where he told the X-men to hide the jet. Time was of the essence. It didn't take him long to find the massive black vehicle and as soon as he got there he yelled out his friend's names. A fuzzy blue German, a Goth Southerner and a peppy Illini emerged from the jet as they were being called.

"What's goin' on?" Rogue asked.

"No time to talk. Kitty and Rogue, I need you to go pick up my mother and brother. Kurt, you and I are going to pick up two more people. You got that?" Everyone nodded, noting the severity in Terry's voice. Kitty and Rogue then got into the jet and took off as Kurt and Terry squeezed into the Batplane, which Kurt had retrieved in Batman's absence. All he had to do was pop in, touch the plane and pop out. The old man wasn't even in the cave when Kurt did it, so it caused fewer complications. 

"It is a tight fit, ja?" Kurt asked, rather uncomfortable.

"The dog never complained," Terry said back. Kurt remained quiet for the short remainder of the trip. He looked out through the red-tinted windows to the magnificent city. Kurt was, in fact, so absorbed that he barely realized it when the jet landed. As the German got out, he realized they were on the top of a building. Terry walked purposely towards the door on the roof that led to the inside. Once within the building, Terry and Kurt (who had activated his Holo-watch, even though he _was_ with Batman) ended up in front of a door. Terry knocked. A tense moment passed, but finally, the door opened, allowing a girl Terry's age to step into the hallway.

"Hel-" the girl started, before she saw who was standing before her. "Ter-" again, she did not finish her sentence as a big, black-gloved hand clapped over her mouth. Once he was sure she got the idea, Terry let go and the trio stepped inside. Kurt walked into the modest apartment, his mind temporarily taken over by the electric pink color of the girl's hair.

Max looked first to Batman, then to the scrawny boy standing next to him. She had no need to act surprised for the newcomer, seeing Terry standing in front of her was enough.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still glancing back and forth. In the traditional Batman fashion, Terry not only ignored her question, but also asked one of his own.

"Is your apartment secure?" His tone was no-nonsense. 

"Let me close the shades." Max walked towards the windows. "There's no way this place can be bugged, though, if that's what you're referring to." After she closed the shades, Max heard Terry sit down heavily on her couch, letting out a long sigh. When she turned around he had his mask off and was running his fingers nervously through his raven-black hair.

"I'm assuming our new friend knows about you. Sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. He obviously knows about-" For the third time that evening, Max was cut off by her best friend.

"Max, you're just filling up space. Now, we don't have much time. There's no saying when King might show up." Terry's statement got Max's attention.

"King's coming for me?" she said, her voice trembling slightly with fear.

"I don't know, that's why you have to leave."

"Why is King coming for me? Is it because of you?" Max said, prying.

"Get a bag and pack some necessities in it. You be with Bruce until the loose ends are tied up," Terry said, once again ignoring Max's questions. The girl opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again; knowing that there would be no argument. She left the room to pack. As soon as Max left the room, Terry leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts were jumbled and confused, and luckily broken by Kurt's timid voice.

"Tell me if this is a bad time, but vy did you bring me here again?" The German boy asked, very curious. Terry looked at him, paused, then replied.

"You need to stay with Max when we get back to the cave, so I can go get…another friend. She'll need to know someone friendly."

"But…zat man, Bruce? He will be there, ja?" Kurt said. Terry almost laughed at the statement.

"The operative word was _friendly_. That's hardly an adjective used to describe Wayne. I'm going to drop you guys off at the manor, okay? All you need to do is convince him that your life is in danger and that the Cave is the only safe place. If he doesn't consent, bamf in. Max'll have a good argument up her sleeve as well. She always does."

"So, I finally get to see the almighty Cave," Max said as she reentered the room. Although Terry didn't expect her to jump into the conversation, he didn't act surprised that she reemerged. Terry stood up, signaling Kurt to do the same. Max scribbled a quick note to her sister, grabbed the key to her apartment and the trio left.

Once inside the Batplane, Max couldn't help but comment.

"Cozy," she said, as if to herself. Kurt didn't say anything at all. He had already been reprimanded once that night for commenting on the small space, he didn't want to go for twice. Besides, Max was so close to him that he felt if he moved, she would bump his fur and react none-so-nicely. 

Aside from the girl's comment, the ride was painfully silent. When they reached the manor, everyone got out to escape the shroud of discomfort. Terry sent them on their way and returned to the plane. This next visit was going to be by far the hardest. Terry's drifting train of thought was interrupted by an incessant beep coming from the cockpit.

_That's funny_, Terry thought, _I don't remember giving Kitty and Rogue access to the communications system._ He pressed the button.

"Terry, what the HELL do you think you're doing?! I'm not a babysitter-"  
"Good," Terry interrupted, "Because you're not getting paid."

"I can – and will – freeze the suit if you don't get these kids out of here and return the suit!"

"Cool it, old man, you think I didn't override that ages ago? You just can't stand the fact that I am trying to redeem myself! You-"

"You wouldn't need to redeem yourself if you hadn't screwed up in the first place." Those few words pierced Terry. Bruce hung up on the other line and the silence was maddening. _Great,_ Terry thought, _Now I'm just a screw-up to everyone. Why is it I can't keep a father figure?_

Terry soaked in his self-pity even when he landed in the private Zen garden, which really didn't help his case. Batman climbed out of his Bat-plane and ended up on the first-story roof, looking into a teenager's decorated room. Inside a thin girl with ivory skin was combing her long black hair. Terry just looked at the girl for a minute, momentarily forgetting his woes. Unfortunately, momentarily is not synonymous to infinitely, and the boy was soon brought back to his sense. Taking a deep breath and gathering all of his courage, he tapped lightly on the window. The girl turned around, hands stationed mid-stroke, eyes wide with fear. Then she saw who was on the other side of her window and that fear turned to anger. She turned back around and faced the mirror, brushing her hair with much more conviction than before.

"I thought I'd try to be polite, Dana, but that didn't seem to work," Terry said, startling the girl. She started to speak, but Terry interrupted her. "Ah ah! You can't tell me to knock next time, I already did."

"You know very well I wasn't going to say that. You have some nerve coming here, you know. I'm still mad with you and I don't particularly feel like talking right now."

"Good, because I don't either. Get a bag and pack necessities for the next few days."

"Oh, so now you're a kidnapper!" Dana hissed. She didn't stop brushing her hair once, though she wasn't brushing because her hair had knots in it anymore.

"Only if you don't do it voluntarily. Believe me, I can live with you hating me for awhile. I can't, however, live hating myself forever if I don't protect you. Now lets get going, I don't want to have to drag you out."

"You wouldn't!" Dana said in a surprised tone.

"I could," Terry threatened. Dana gave him a fierce look, and started packing with conviction. When she was finished, she looked up at Terry. "Better write your dad a note," he said. "We may be gone for a few days."

"What?" Dana said, even more disbelieving than before.

"Hey, I don't know how long this ordeal will take to wrap up," Terry said defensively. Dana glared at him once more, scribbled down a note and posted it on her bedroom door.

"Fine. Let's go."

Once again the Bat-plane was clouded with silence, only this kind was much more damaging than the last. After a few minutes in the plane, however, Dana spoke up.

"What exactly is going on?" she asked, staring out the window.

"I was wondering when you'd ask, it's not like you to blindly jump into something," Terry replied. Then he explained. "King found out I'm Batman, and I'm afraid he'll go after the people most important in my life. Some friends are retrieving my mother and brother, and another friend and I picked up Max and, finally, you. So that's about it. It's honestly for your own good. I know you're still mad at me for not telling you about this life sooner, but I was afraid this exact thing would happen."

"Terry," Dana started. She concentrated fiercely on the city below, hoping that Terry wouldn't notice the tears creeping down her face. Her quivering voice, however, gave her away. "I was mad at you because I felt like you betrayed me. We were friends, and friends share everything. However, that's not why I'm mad at you now. Sure you could've – and probably should've- handled things differently, but I forgive that. What I'm really mad at you for is running away. It is not easy to find out your boyfriend is Batman and not talk to anyone about it. You should've stayed. At least then I could've talk to you about it and we could've worked something out."

"I wasn't running. It was, however, very convenient that my mother got a job transfer around the same time, and it's true I didn't fight it, but that's not the point. You could've talked to Max, she was in on it," Terry said, defending himself.

"You are the whole reason I talk to Max, Ter. She's a nice girl, but she's definitely more your friend than she is mine. It would be too weird just to start talking to her about this situation, and even if I had, that wouldn't change the fact that you left. That hurt me much more than any secret life."

"But I'm back now, right?" Terry said. It pained him to hear Dana so upset.

"Yes, and I don't want you to leave."

Terry lowered the plane to the ground and the pair got out.


End file.
